A meeting with the king
by f.m. kit kat
Summary: This is a fanfiction based on the books. Ever wonder what would have happened if Murtagh hadn't let Eragon go after their battle on the burning planes? Well, you're about to find out. Rated M for safety because I don't know where this story is goingto go
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! Alright, this is my first attempt at actually writing fanfiction instead of just reading it. I noticed there weren't any fanfics about Eragon getting captured by Galbatorix so I decided to fix that. :) Rated M because I have no idea what is going to happen in this story so I'm rating for safety.**

**This story takes place just after Eragon realizes that the red dragon rider he has been fighting on the burning planes is Murtagh. Instead of how the actual book goes however, Murtagh doesn't have a loophole to work with, captures Eragon and Saphira, and takes them to Galbatorix. **

**Disclaimers: Don't own Eragon! **

**Chapter 1: Captured (very original title I know)**

A pained expression twisted Eragon's face as he stared at Murtagh. He hated it- hated the entire situation, but he knew what had to be done. Murtagh was a rider bound to Galbatorix by oaths forced out of him through the use of his true name. He was too much of a threat to leave alive. He gritted his teeth as snapshots of memories murtagh and he had shared together flashed through his mind. _No,_ thought Eragon, _Don't think about it. Focus. Focus on what has to be done. _The burning smell of war and the burning plains themselves filled his lungs. Eragon leaped forward, simultaneously renewing his attack on Murtagh's mind, intending to plunge Zar'roc through his heart.

"Letta!" barked Murtagh.

The spell caught Eragon midair, forcing him to drop back to the ground as invisible bands clamped around his arms and legs, immobilizing him. To his right, Eragon heard a furious roar as Saphira loosed a jet of fire at Murtagh, pouncing at him like a cat. Murtagh didn't even flinch as he extended a claw-like hand toward Saphira.

"Risa!" he commanded, halting Saphira's progress towards him.

Saphira yelped in surprise as she found herself frozen, floating several feet above the ground. She immediately began flailing about in her invisible bonds. No matter what she did, she couldn't brake free or force herself higher or lower with her wings. She let out a furious shriek in frustration. Eragon stared at Murtagh in surprise tinged with fear. How was he doing this? If he had tried the same feat, even with his new abilities, it would leave him gasping for breath and unable to move from where he would surely lay collapsed on the ground. Murtagh didn't seem to be affected by it at all! What he was accomplishing was _inhuman_.

Eragon wasn't about to lay down and die. He quickly ran through the counter spells Oromis had taught him. "Brakka du vanyali sem huildar Saphira un eka!" Eragon said, bracing himself as he felt the magic begin to sap his already depleted strength. Murtagh didn't try to stop him. He just gave Eragon a flat stare, as if he found Eragon's struggling to be a pointless inconvenience.

Eragon's hands went numb and his whole body started to shake with exertion of the magic. Saphira quickly added her body's vast resources to his efforts. The minutes ticked by as their silent battle waged. Eragon's body began to shake, new aches adding to his already battered body. Despite all his efforts, the only sign that Murtagh was exerting any effort to keep Eragon and Saphira where they were was a thick vein that was pulsing on his neck. Finally, after two minutes Eragon was forced to let go of the magic or fall into unconsciousness, a prospect he didn't find too comforting given the circumstances.

Eragon slumped, and would have fallen to his knees if he wasn't being held up by his invisible bonds. Murtagh smirked and walked up to him. Saphira growled, but her warning was an empty threat.

"You cannot hope to compete with me," Murtagh said, "no one can, except Galbatorix." He let the tip of his sword trace across Eragon's neck lightly.

"What now," Eragon spat, "If you're going to kill us just do it already." Murtagh stared at him for a moment, then let out a maniacal laugh.

"Kill you," Murtagh said, "I can assure you the king wants you very much alive. In fact, he ordered me to capture you and Saphira."

Eragon frowned in confusion "Why?" Murtagh looked at him incredulously.

"You don't know," he asked in a disbelieving voice. At Eragon's deepened frown Murtagh burst into another bark of his psychotic laughter. "Isn't it obvious? The last egg Galbatorix possess is _male_. Saphira is the only female left of her kind. Galbatorix wants her to mate in order to restore her race." Eragon looked at Murtagh in shock. Murtagh leaned closer to him and sneered in his ear, "It's going to be so easy to take you back to Uru'baen." To drive his point across, Murtagh increased the pressure on the sword at Eragon's throat slightly, pricking the skin. A small trickle of warm blood slid down Eragon's throat.

The cold weight of fear buried itself deep in his stomach. Murtagh was going to drag him to King Galbatorix. Saphira and he would be imprisoned and eventually forced to swear oaths to Galbatorix. He would end up like Murtagh, chained, angry, and bitter. A shiver swept through him and for the first time in a long while, he felt the pure raw emotion of terror corse through his body. Murtagh seemed to notice the fear in Eragon's eyes and relish in it because a large smirk spread across his face. He withdrew his sword from Eragon's throat and sheathed it. After rummaging around briefly in a leather pouch that was hanging from his belt, he withdrew a small vile.

He looked at Eragon with mischievous gleam in his eye and said, "Of course, before we leave, you need to drink some of this." he swung the vile back and forth. "Can't have you using magic to escape." Murtagh uncorked the bottle carefully. Eragon's eyes widened as his sensitive nose picked up the sweet perfumed smell that the drugged water in Gil'ead had contained. If he drank that it would be all over. He struggled and thrashed against his bonds as Murtagh approached him. Saphira did the same, snapping and biting the air in vain. Eragon turned his head away from Murtagh. Murtagh sighed and grabbed his jaw forcing his head back around to face him.

"You never give up do you," Murtagh asked in something close to fondness that surprised Eragon. He shook off his surprise and clamped his teeth together so hard it hurt.

"Uh, uh, uh,"

Murtagh tisked. He dug his leather clad fingers into the corners of Eragon's jaw and slowly, painfully, forced his mouth open. Eragon fought to close his mouth again, but before he could Murtagh poured the vile's contents into his mouth and massaged his throat until Eragon was forced to swallow. The cold liquid forced its way down, almost drowning Eragon in the process. When Murtagh was satisfied that Eragon had swallowed every drop, he released his hold on Eragon's jaw. Eragon coughed a few times and spat at Murtagh. He raised his head to glared at the other rider. The world around him spun in a dizzying swirl and he groaned. He could faintly make out Murtagh's smile, as he was informed that the drug had been mixed with a sedative that would help him "relax and recover from his battle and make the journey more comfortable." Eragon closed his eyes as he fought off nausea. He thought he dimly heard Saphira bellowing, but then he was gone as he fell into darkness, reveling in the last tender touches of Saphira's mind.

**Ok, that's it for now. Sorry for the cliff hanger. Don't know how long it'll take to update seeing as I've never tried this fanfiction thing before. No promises on how long it'll take, but I'll try to update as soon as I can. R&R Till next time~ see ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, here goes the second Chapter. :) For simplicity sake I've decided not to make Murtagh and Eragon brothers. On with the chapter! XD**

**Disclaimers: Don't own!**

**Warnings: none**

**Chapter 2**

Awareness crept into Eragon's mind along with a throbbing ache that pounded through his body. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The sky that expanded over him was a deep purple. He tried weakly to push himself up, but the task proved difficult since his hands were bound. He managed to sit up only to almost fall back down as a wave of dizziness hit him. He closed his eyes and put his face in his hands, waiting for the dizziness to subside. A soft laugh reached his ears. Eragon lifted his head out of his hands to find the source of it. Murtagh sat in front of him, an amused smile on his face. The only thing that separated them was a small fire. Eragon stared at him blankly.

"How are you feeling," Murtagh asked. Eragon frowned slightly. How _was_ he? He thought for a second, battling the fuzziness that muddled his thoughts. His mind wasn't as clouded as when he had been drugged and imprisoned in Gil'ead, but it still slowed his thought process.

"How do you think," Eragon spat. The venom in his voice was lost with the slight slur that accented his words.

Murtagh smiled and said, "I gave you a lower dosage of the drug so you shouldn't be too out of it. You still wont be able to use magic or communicate with Saphira, though." At the mention of Saphira Eragon whipped his head around frantically in search of her. His eyes spotted her collapsed on her side at the edge of the camp. Chains snaked around her body connecting huge manacles fastened around her ankles. A thick muzzle was strapped around her snout. Eragon's heart stopped for a second, thinking she was dead. He breathed a sigh of relief when she emitted a low growling snore. The drug in his system wasn't enough to completely dampen the surge of anger he felt at Saphira's condition. He whipped his head back to Murtagh producing another wave of dizziness.

He forced it to subside long enough to snarl, "What the hell did you do to Saphira?"

Murtagh's face remained calm as he answered, "She's fine. I just put her under a strong sleeping spell. It's only for the nights. I just don't want to have to worry about an angry dragon when I'm trying to sleep, especially a _female_ dragon." Eragon's glare deepened, then he looked back at Saphira. Something was different about her, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. He stared at her intensely, brow furrowing slightly in his efforts, until a light bulb went on in his head. They had been captured in the middle of a battle, but Saphira was no longer adorned in her fearsome armor. He quickly looked down at himself and realized he too had been striped of the hand crafted metal.

His glare rested on Murtagh once again "What did you do with our armor?"

Murtagh replied quizzically, "Well you didn't expect me to carry it all the way to Uru'baen did you? It would be a pain and slow our progress considerably." At Eragon's scowl he said, "Don't worry, I didn't leave it lying around or destroy it or anything. After you passed out, I took Saphira and you to the Empire's army camp. I had them change your clothes and tend to any serious wounds you had, then picked up some supplies and we left. Some soldiers from the camp are going to bring both Saphira's and your armor back to Uru'baen polished and undamaged, it'll just take awhile." Eragon shifted where he sat. Without his armor, Zar'roc, and magic he felt completely exposed and defenseless. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought that his life rested in Murtagh's hands for the moment.

They sat in silence for awhile, the only sounds that disturbed the still air were the crackling of the fire and an occasional snore from Saphira. Eragon was lost in fear and hurt. He couldn't believe he had gotten himself into this situation. All those months in Ellesmera had been for nothing. On top of that, the fact that Murtagh, his best _friend,_ was the one dragging him to face Galbatorix added a painful sting to his current predicament. He understood Murtagh didn't have a choice, that Galbatorix was using his true name against him, but deep down it still hurt. It was all happening too fast! Eragon felt like he had whiplash from everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Eragon was snapped out of his thoughts by a venison kabob that was shoved abruptly into his face. He flinched back slightly and looked up at Murtagh. The combination of the drug and his deep thoughts had distracted Eragon so much that he hadn't even notice the other man's approach.

Murtagh smiled slightly and said, "Thought you might be hungry after all that fighting." Eragon's stomach growled loudly in agreement and Eragon quickly looked away in embarrassment. That earned him soft chuckle from Murtagh who urged, "come on. your obviously starving." He waved the meat in front of Eragon's face, spreading the aroma of spices and making Eragon's mouth water.

Eragon looked up at him and, with an effort of will, said, "I can't eat meat." Murtagh frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean you can't eat meat? You ate it plenty of times when we were traveling together and at Farthen Dur."

A lump rose in Eragon's throat at the memories of how things used to be between them, back when they were simply two friends searching for an escape from the Empire. Not Argetlam, Shadeslayer, and Firesword. Not Foresworn and Morzan's son. Just a farm-boy and a runaway. He sighed.

"I mean I can't _mentally_ eat it. I can't in good conscience eat an animal whose thoughts and feelings I have shared." Murtagh lifted an eyebrow.

"The elves must have screwed up your brain when they changed you. How can you _not_ eat meat? _Everything_ eats something else in order to continue existing. It's survival. Deer eat grass and wolves eat deer. It's the natural order of things. It's how we were made. No wonder I kicked your ass so bad! You can't get strong surviving off of vegetables and fruit." Eragon glared at Murtagh.

"I wont tell you how to live your life, so let me live mine how I want."

"But don't you miss it," Murtagh insisted stubbornly.

"God yes, but every time I think about eating it I feel like throwing up. It's easier for me to just avoid it all together."

Murtagh contemplated this for a few seconds then resigned "Alright, whatever. Starve yourself for all I care. I have a loaf of bread you can eat." He shrugged his shoulders and walked back over to his pack. After rummaging around, he produced a loaf of sour dough bread and brought it back over to Eragon.

"Here," Murtagh said, handing the bread to him. Eragon muttered a grudging "thanks" and tore into the bread. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. Between fighting in the long battle and pushing the limits of his magic, he was hungry enough to eat all the loaves of bread in Surda and the Empire combined. He finished the loaf and sighed in relief. He could feel strength already returning to his body from the meal.

A loud buzzing noise made Eragon jump. He looked up to see Murtagh cast a spell. The loud buzzing noise immediately ceased and he stood up and sighed. Murtagh reached into his pack and pulled out a water skin and a vile that looked suspiciously like the one he had forced Eragon to drink on the burning planes. Eragon's guard rose as he watched the other rider approach him with the two objects. Murtagh held the water skin and vile out for him to take. Eragon just glared at Murtagh in defiance. Murtagh sighed.

"Look, you can either drink this yourself or have me shove it down your throat again, your choice."

Eragon continued to glare at Murtagh, but took the flask and downed it in one gulp. Murtagh's face softened and he handed the water skin to him.

"Water, just plain water," he explained. Eragon took it and swallowed a couple of swigs, then handed it back. Murtagh returned the skin and now empty flask to his pack and resumed his place across from Eragon. The stared at each other for a long time, neither wanting to be the first to look away. It was funny, thought Eragon, that although each of them had grown and changed considerably, some base things were still the same. Neither of them would back down from a challenge.

Their staring contest was interrupted by the thunderous sound of pounding wings. Dragon wings. Murtagh looked up, a satisfied smile plastered on his face. Eragon understood how he felt on that level at least. An empty pang of jealousy resonated through him at the loss of Saphira's familiar touch. They were essentially one being now and the pain of separation was killing him.

Thorn landed and walked over to Murtagh. He bent his head down and huffed into Murtagh's hair. Murtagh smiled. Thorn examined him for a moment with his garnet eyes, then, seeming satisfied, settled down behind him.

Murtagh looked back to Eragon and said, "You should get some rest," his eyes hardened, "There's no point in trying to escape. You can't use magic and if you try to run Thorn will chase after you and carry you back here by the scruff of your neck." The angry side of Murtagh Eragon had seen on the battlefield was now apparent in his eyes. He meant what he said. Eragon swallowed. The angry beast in Murtagh's eyes slowly died down and Eragon silently let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He suddenly felt the rush of helplessness flood through him again. He needed safety and comfort and that had always been Saphira.

He turned to look at her graceful form collapsed on the ground and started to pull himself toward her. He didn't make very good progress considering his wrists and ankles were tied. He yelped as he felt someone pick him up. A second later, Murtagh was carrying him over his shoulder the rest of the way to Saphira.

"What the hell- ow," Eragon yelped as Murtagh dumped him unceremoniously on the ground next to Saphira's neck.

"Looked like you could use some help," Murtagh said with a cocky grin.

He laughed and walked back over to Thorn. Eragon glared at his retreating back, wishing he could burn a hole in it. Murtagh ignored him and settled down for the night. Soon soft snores could be heard from him. Thorn laid his head down and watched Eragon with intense unblinking eyes. Eragon glared back, then laid down and curled into a half circle with his back pressed against Saphira. It was comforting being in contact with her again, even if it was only physical. His eyes felt heavy and his body begged him to sleep, but the thought of sleeping in the presence of his enemies made him uneasy. He glanced at Murtagh stretched out on the ground under a blanket. How could he sleep so easily when his captives could escape at any moment? Did he really have that much confidence in Thorn and himself? Eragon shook off the question. He had more important things to think about, like a way out of this mess. He watched Thorn and Murtagh cycle through taking turns watching him and sleeping until the dark sky began to lighten. Some time after that Eragon fell asleep curled up in Saphira's warmth.

**To Be continued...**

**Alright that was the end of chapter 2. To clarify my earlier statement, I'm not going to have Murtagh and Eragon be Half brothers/brothers because it would be too much of a pain to put into the story. I'll probably still have Eragon eventually find out he's Brom's son though. That's about it~ Please R&R! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! If you are reading this you can thank ArtemisRules, JadedHowl, and Leski for this update because without their support I wouldn't have picked this story back up. So without further ado, enjoy the story!**

**Chapter 3: A Bumpy Ride**

Eragon was rocking gently with the ebb and flow of ocean waves. He smiled contentedly. The sun was warm on his face, and try as he might to stay awake, sleep kept luring him into its comforting embrace. He opened his eyes slowly to take in the jeweled sea once more before he drifted to sleep completely. There was no sea. A hard packed dirt road stretched over the hills ahead of him like a long winding snake. Eragon jerked in surprise, looking around wildly. Unlike the sea, the rocking sensation didn't disappear and Eragon realized he was currently sitting on Thorn's back, not the most comforting place in the world. He jumped when two muscled arms tightened around his waist.

"Morning," a deep voice murmured behind him. Eragon stiffened and glared over his shoulder at the older rider. Murtagh responded with an amused smirk, which only succeeded in turning the younger rider's temper up a notch. He growled and attempted to elbow the dark haired teen in the gut. Between the fact that he was disoriented from the drug and that Murtagh was pressed against his back, the blow wasn't very affective, but it got the point across and that was what mattered. Murtagh's face darkened for a second, giving the Eragon yet another glimpse of the beast from the night before stirring in depths of angry gray eyes, then the look was replaced by a harsh laugh. Eragon couldn't decided which reaction was scarier. He knew Murtagh's beast would not hesitate to tear him apart in a second, if given the chance. It was a killer instinct born from a harsh past and an unkind present.

"Was that the best hit you could manage? See, you have gotten weaker with lack of meat," Murtagh taunted.

Eragon glared at the back of Thorn's neck, hoping the heat he could feel spreading to his ears would be attributed to anger instead of embarrassment. Murtagh seemed to know just how to poke at his sore spots. A beast of his own was already ripping him apart from the inside, tearing at his helplessness. Pain cut through his inner turmoil, and he realized his hands were clenched so tight that his knuckles were showing white through his taught skin. He took a deep breath and slowly unclenched his fists.

To distract himself from his current weak state, he asked, "Where's Saphira?"

An angry growl to his right answered that question. Saphira was walking beside them, her deep Sapphire eyes locked with his in a fierce combination of longing and protectiveness. She was still chained and muzzled like the last time Eragon had seen her. Although her body scales were hard as armor, her wings were much more delicate. Red sores were already forming under the chains's abrasive touch. Where she once prowled elegantly across the land like a large panther, she was now forced to walk with a shuffling gait from chains and weariness.

_How could someone reduce such a beautiful creature such as Saphira to this? _Eragon thought angrily. How could he have let this happen? Now, because of his weakness, his inability to protect both Saphira and Murtagh, the other half of his soul was being treated like a chained dog and his once best friend had been forced into slavery to the king. He had to grit his teeth against the rise of pure rage and sorrow that screamed through him at Saphira's condition and his own helpless condition.

His body tensed and in a moment of pure emotion, he threw all his weight to the right, catching Murtagh off guard. The older rider's grip broke, and Eragon went hurtling to the ground. If his training hadn't been ingrained into his muscles, he would have broken his neck, or at least a couple ribs and maybe a leg. Luckily, his body reacted to the situation before his foggy mind could even process what was happening. The world spun as his muscles instinctively sent him into roll on impact with the ground. Dizziness crashed through Eragon as he came to a stop at Saphira's feet and it took all his energy not to puke on her ebony claws. Saphira bent down and nudged his panting form gently. The contact gave him the encouragement he needed to push himself shakily to his feet.

Exhilaration slowly filled Eragon and he couldn't help a fierce grin from turning up the corner of his mouth. Maybe he wasn't quite so helpless after all. On top of physically breaking away from the other rider, his mind didn't seem as slow or fuzzy, but when he tried to contact Saphira his connection with her still slipped through his mental fingers.

Murtagh looked down at him from Thorn's back. His face had hardened, a mixture of anger and contempt shimmered in his eyes. Thorn's eyes were equally intense with challenge. The older rider slowly dismounted his crimson dragon and took a few measured paces toward Eragon, control and dominance displayed in every step. It was the leisurely walk of a cat toward a cornered mouse. Saphira hissed menacingly in warning at his approach and crouched into a defensive stance over Eragon. He could hear the jingling strain of the chains when she tried to cover him with her bound wings. Likewise, Eragon slipped into a defensive crouch, eyes narrowed and fixed on his friend's, no _his enemy's _movements. The reminder bit into Eragon's mind like a rusty nail, a fragmented memory of two boys riding across Alagaesia flashed in his mind, a memory of what could have been. What had happened to them? The answer was simple: Galbatorix.

Murtagh stopped his approach a couple feet from Eragon. When he made no move to run, Murtagh let an amused smirk play across his face. He clapped slowly, the noise muffled slightly by his leather gloves. Eragon fought not to flinch at the sound. It was strangely ominous in the peaceful air.

"Well done Eragon," Murtagh congratulated, "Well done. But what do you plan to do now that you've broken free of my grasp? Your only shot at escaping at this point was running and you've passed up that opportunity now that I am no longer taken by surprise."

Eragon glared at him defiantly and snapped, "You of all people should understand why I would not leave Saphira behind!"

Murtagh smiled sadly and replied, "Yes, I understand, but all the same, what are you going to do now? You can't fight me in your state and you can't escape with Saphira. You're out of options, so why don't you come back over here peacefully and we can be on our merry way."

Eragon didn't drop his ready position, choosing to glare at the other rider in answer to the suggestion. Anger bubbled up in him at being treated like a child throwing a temper tantrum. No way in hell was he going to go along to Uru'baen without protest just because he had no hope of winning at the moment. This wasn't the first time he was fighting against all odds. In fact, he had been doing it ever since Saphira had hatched for him, maybe even before that. What was it Brom had said? Three parts brave, one part fool? A grin pulled at his lips at the memory of his teacher. He'd be letting the old story teller down if he gave up now. Who would want to hear a legend about a rider that just _gave up_? No one. Besides, from what Murtagh had told him about his kidnapping, the older rider hadn't exactly gone quietly either. Said rider frowned slightly when Eragon didn't drop his fighting stance.

"You can't possibly be thinking of-," Murtagh was cut off as Eragon used his new elfen speed to ram his elbow into the other rider's gut. Murtagh managed to catch Eragon's elbow at the last second, but only on reflex. He frowned at the younger rider. _How fast was he when he was completely off the drug?_ The crimson rider decided he didn't want to find out. It wasn't hard to twist Eragon against his body and smoothly slide a dagger up to kiss the young rider's throat. Saphira lunged at him as best she could with the thick shackles on her ankles, but Thorn was on top of her in an instant. The crimson dragon may have been smaller than her, but with no weapons to use against him and her legs and wings chained, Saphira was easily pinned to the ground.

"Now are you going to behave," asked Murtagh flatly.

"Bite me," Eragon spat in response, wincing slightly when the silver blade of the dagger was pressed harder against his throat.

"You know," Murtagh said, the careful restraints on his anger ripping at the seams, "My orders were 'bring them back alive.' That leaves a lot of room for interpretation. For instance, you don't necessarily need both legs to live, although Galbatorix might want you to be able to fight, so maybe that's not a good choice. Now _Saphira_ on the other hand, I doubt the king'll let her out of his sight and you don't exactly need intact wings to mate...," he paused to let his threats sink in. Eragon stiffened in his grip, shaking slightly in anger or fear, or maybe a little of both. Murtagh smirked. It felt so good not to be the powerless one for once. He let the dagger slide from Eragon's throat and let him go. Eragon took a step forward, but otherwise didn't move. Saphira snarled angrily. Murtagh sheathed his dagger and pulled out a vile of the anti-magic drug.

"Now then," he said nonchalantly, "I think you're long overdue for your dose."

The younger rider shifted slightly to shoot a venomous glare over his shoulder, but made no move to run. Murtagh strode in front of him and offered the vile. If looks could kill... Murtagh would be burned alive, struck by lightning, and buried in a hole on the side of the road in ten seconds flat. Luckily they couldn't and the blue rider hesitantly grabbed and downed the vile. Saphira growled at him and tried desperately to brake away from Thorn, but to no avail. Eragon frowned and put a hand to his head, his eyes unfocused. He swayed slightly and Murtagh caught him before he hit the ground. There was no way he was taking another chance with the younger male, so he had made sure to add something to the vile that would knock Eragon out for the rest of the day.

At a nod from the dark haired rider, Thorn cautiously climbed off Saphira and backed away from her toward Murtagh. Bound or not, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Murtagh smiled at the hard fury in the sapphire depths of her eyes, barely held back by caution and worry over her rider's safety. She truly was a magnificent dragon, strong and fierce, yet elegant. His smile widened when Thorn mentally agreed with him. Murtagh climbed onto his back, hoisting Eragon up after him with magic. This was going to be an interesting journey. Eragon was a pain when he tried to fight against the inevitable. Then again, it would be disappointing if the determined light in his eyes were snuffed out too easily. Murtagh smiled. Maybe Eragon would be able to resist Galbatorix longer than he had. Then again, maybe not. Even if he could, he wouldn't be able to do it forever. The king would win in the end, it was only a matter of when.

**A/N: This chapter ended up being so long that I split it in half. Eragon and Murtagh will reach Uru'baen in the next chapter and the fun will start. Sorry about my crappy writing style, I haven't written in a while and I have to get back in the swing of things. The next chapter is almost finished but I won't be able to upload it for at least 10 days because I'm driving to Florida for college orientation and wont have access to my laptop or internet. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Please review :) Thanks for all the support! Till next time~**


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